Dem candidates react to Trump-Kim summit

Patrick Nelson is one of five candidates running for the Democratic nomination for New York’s 21st Congressional District.

PLATTSBURGH | The summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received mixed marks from Democrats seeking to unseat Rep. Elise Stefanik, with most candidates downplaying the significance of the event.

Dylan Ratigan was dismissive of the historic summit in Singapore, calling it “political theater between two deeply egotistical maniacal world leaders.”

“There’s incredible social and political value in both of them carrying on publicly in this way,” Ratigan said.

As the U.S. and North Korea work to forge a denuclearization agreement amid steadily increasing tensions, candidates were asked at a Mountain Lake PBS forum in Plattsburgh last week what concessions should be off the table.

Ratigan said China must be involved for any agreement to be successful.

“The validity of anything that they come up with is only as valid as the degree to which China is actually fully bought into it,” he said.

Nelson countered no concession should be completely off the table — as long as each is done with an “equal concession” on the part of the North Korean government.

The end goal of the peace process is for North Koreans to join the global community, he said.

Economic sanctions should be “commensurately lifted” along the way as the authoritarian and secretive North Korean regime negotiates human rights issues, he said.

PHOTO-OP

Katie Wilson called the summit a “giant photo” up that allowed Kim to look more powerful and threatening at home, and Trump, successful.

“What took place was a lot of nothing,” said Wilson.

Isolationist policies, she said, threaten global security.

Increased economic partnerships will lessen the likelihood of conflict, Wilson said, and the U.S. must not only work with North Korea to eliminate existing sanctions, but also Iran.

Trump became the first-ever sitting U.S. president to meet with a North Korean leader last week.

The event followed months of increasingly hostile exchanges between the U.S. and the reclusive East Asian nation, fueling fears of a nuclear showdown.

Even the summit itself was touch-and-go until the last minute.

Each country hailed the meeting as the first step in a denuclearization deal and signed a joint statement promoting "mutual confidence" building to "promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

The leaders outlined four commitments: establishing diplomatic relations, building a "lasting a stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula," working toward “complete denuclearization” and recovering remains of POW/MIA soldiers.

“That puts us at risk,” said Tedra Cobb. “That puts South Korea at risk. The president did this to look good and to have a relationship with a despot.”

Cobb said Congress must have a say in upcoming negotiations, as well as events like the G7 summit in Quebec earlier this month which the candidate contended Trump “ruined” when he took a hard-line approach at what he perceived as unfair trade deals.

Trump refused to sign the joint communique and threatened tariffs on European allies.

The president shouldn’t be unilaterally allowed to put the U.S. military and their allies at risk, Cobb said.

“Those are non-negotiables for us and the United States.”

Emily Martz agreed Congress needed to have a seat at the table, and said the protection of U.S. and South Korean military personnel is paramount.

Anything that would out the U.S. immediately at risk, as well as jeopardize human rights of the U.S. and its allies, should be off the table, she said.

TRUMP TWEETS

The U.S. and North Korea do not formally have diplomatic relations, and any lifting of economic sanctions would require congressional approval.

Trump has been criticized for elevating Kim’s status as a respected world leader, and defended his decision to halt what he referred as “war games” on Sunday.

“Holding back the ‘war games’ during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!”

He also punched back at U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer’s criticism of the summit as “all cattle, no hat” in comments made on the Senate floor last week.

“Thank you Chuck, but are you sure you got that right?” Trump wrote. “No more nuclear testing or rockets flying all over the place, blew up launch sites. Hostages already back, hero remains coming home & much more!”

Trump continued: “Funny how the Fake News, in a coordinated effort with each other, likes to say I gave sooo much to North Korea because I “met.” That’s because that’s all they have to disparage!” Trump wrote. “We got so much for peace in the world, & more is being added in finals. Even got our hostages/remains!”

In the race for New York's 21st Congressional District, foreign policy has largely taken a backseat to domestic issues like job creation, the economy and health care as Democrats hurdle towards their June 26 primary.

The winner will go on to face Stefanik, a Republican, and Green Party candidate Lynn Kahn in November.

A POLITICO/Morning Consult poll released after the summit revealed 54 percent of voters say North Korean summit was “very” or “somewhat” successful.

But voter appear unsure of the summit details and whether the meeting will result in positive outcomes for the U.S.

“Thirteen percent believe the agreement ‘strongly favors’ the U.S., 21 percent believe it ‘somewhat favors’ the U.S. Thirteen percent say the deal ‘somewhat favors’ North Korea, and 11 percent say it ‘strongly favors’ North Korea,” POLITICO reported. “Forty-two percent said they either do not know, or do not have an opinion.”